Sunday, March 31, 2013

The world's largest award for children's literature has been won by a picture book illustrator from Argentina, Isol, whose work exposed the absurdities of the adult world. She was the deserved winner of the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award announced on the fourth and final day of the Bologna Children's Book Fair 2013 in Italy on March 28.

Isol herself was not present on the occasion and the bouquet on her behalf was received by Guadalajara Book Fair in Mexico, where her publishing house is situated, from the Swedish Minister for Culture, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth. She, however, is expected to collect the award personally in the presentation ceremony to be held in Stockholm on May 27.

Given annually by the Swedish government to an individual or organisation working ‘in the spirit of Astrid Lindgren’ to ‘safeguard democratic values’, there were 207 candidates from around the world competing for this year's prize.

Isol, born Marisol Misenta in Buenos Aires in 1972 and an illustrator, cartoonist, graphic artist, writer, singer and composer, was chosen by a jury of 12 international children's literature experts to stand alongside former winners including Shaun Tan, Philip Pullman and Maurice Sendak.

“The author was very happy and very surprised to have won though I did wake her up with the phone call to tell her,” Chair of the jury, Larry Lempert, admitted, describing Isol as a visual storyteller who works with extreme elements, fun, unpredictable elements and with humour, and who crosses borders and new boundaries.

The author and illustrator of 10 books of her own, as well as a collaborator with Argentinian poet Jorge Luján, the jury praised Isol for creating picture books from the eye level of the child.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Jean-Louis Roy’s ‘Ontario in Transition: Achievements and Challenges’ was launched recently in the bustling Canadian metropolis of Toronto, the capital of Ontario.

The book is a look at the modern Ontario and the changes that have profoundly transformed it over the last decades. The fact that it has been authored by a Quebecker historian, former journalist and diplomat, and one-time Devoir publisher makes the publication even more intriguing.

At a time when Quebec sovereignty is once again in the news, Roy's book highlights the point that, with $70 billion in trade between Ontario and Quebec and a cross-border migration that has seen 1.2 million Quebeckers moving to Ontario and 750,000 Ontarians settling in Quebec, the two provinces were more closely linked than ever.

Ontario in Transition, in the words of its author, is a book of many firsts. Not only does it represent the first time a prominent Quebecker has deigned to write a book about Ontario, it's also the first time Ontario's staggering demographic diversity and rapidly transforming economy have been so thoroughly examined.

Ontario's emergence culturally from colonial backwater to its current dazzle, which reaches its apotheosis in the Toronto International Film Festival, has also attracted Roy's journalistic curiosity.

Jean-Louis Roy, who currently heads the Montreal think tank Partenariat International, is the author of some 20 works of literature, history and politics that have been published in Quebec, France, the United States, Brazil, the Middle East and a number of African countries.

The Made in Chelsea star, Ollie Locke, celebrated his writing debut at London's 151 King's Road with the launch of Laid in Chelsea.

It's billed as an insight into the mind of the modern man with Ollie Locke, an entertainment presenter for television, having put his own spin on things in his maiden book.
Surrounded by his reality TV pals, the brunette 28-year-old beamed as he was surrounded by the glamour girls with a copy of the book in his hand.

Joined by Binky Felstead, he quickly slipped into MIC mode as they enjoyed a flirty frolic for the cameras. Cheska Hull also shared the spotlight, looking beautiful in a chic navy number.

Ollie Locke is acclaimed as the heart of Channel 4’s hit show Made in Chelsea. He had arrived at the party showing off a ridiculously dark tan on his face but he became unstoppably cheerful once there.

In ‘Laid in Chelsea’ he has shared his stories from developing his first crush, dire first encounters, terrible dates to true love besides offering his unique advice on how to stay sane in the crazy world of love.
Witty, surprising, touching, downright hilarious and always honest, ‘Laid in Chelsea’ is described as an exclusive insight into the mind of the modern man, and a backstage pass to the secret world of Chelsea.

Famous Bollywood actor, Neil Nitin Mukesh, also a Volkswagen brand fanatic, has been promoting the coffee table book ‘India’s 100 Best Destinations’ which has been brought out by the automobile giant.

The Volkswagen editorial gem has been crafted by Bob Rupani, which exclaims a delightful quotient of the seen as well as some of the unseen locations of India. It features travelogues stretching from the various corners of the country, divulging in all directions.

“A coffee table book on travel is a very natural extension for a company like Volkswagen. With this book we provide every travel enthusiast the opportunity to simplify drive out and enjoy the country,” Lutz Kothe, Head of Marketing and PR, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, remarked in the launching ceremony.

It gives me immense pleasure to work with Volkswagen on a subject that I am passionate about: travel and driving. I sincerely hope people not only enjoy reading the book but also drive out,” author Mr. Bob Rupani hoped.

Neil Nitin Mukesh spoke about his love for driving the Volkswagen cars which, in his opinion, were loaded with all the luxury of niche segment, brightened by more authenticated suspensions, and that too in a competitive price band.

Friday, March 29, 2013

The spotlight will be on the Turkish publishing trade in the coming edition of the London Book Fair to be held from April 15 to 17 and they are gearing up to make the most of this opportunity.

The British Council, under the auspices of the British Consulate in Istanbul, organized a reception recently in which renowned writers, publishers, interpreters and publishers as well as representatives of NGOs and the Turkish National Book Committee were in attendance.

The purpose of the gathering was to introduce Turkish writers to the British community and British writers to Turks. Quite a few eminent Turkish writers and literary figures are expected to be at the London Book Fair 2013 in which Turkey will be the Market Focus partner.

The Turkish National Book Committee General Coordinator, Ümüt Yaşar, disclosed that they had held talks with British media members about the fair and informed them about translation support projects and Turkish literature.

The British Council Turkey Director, Margaret Jack, said that the fair would create new partnerships between the two countries.

Famous Turkish writer, Ahmet Ümit, reckoned that their country has a rich literary culture but the biggest problem for Turkish writers was the lack of international promotion.

“This is why being the guest or focus country in the book fairs of Frankfurt, London and France is very important. The time may be limited but speaking about Turkish literature there could create an opportunity for us,” he was quoted as saying.

Nkem Mpamah’s book titled ‘The Art of Achievement and Fulfillment’ was launched recently at the David Lloyd Centre in Cambridge.

Published by Balboa Press, the book describes the process by which, Mpamah pictured, began his journey via humble origins to a strategic role in the African banking system, and thence to Cambridge where he founded his business coaching company, Cognition Global Concepts.

“He writes with humility, but with assertiveness, not with arrogance. The book reminds me that the Chinese word ‘weiji’ means both ‘crisis’ and ‘opportunity’,” Prof Alan Barrell remarked.

Guest speaker Charles McLachlan, while congratulating Mpamah on doing the book, noted that he is “about to step into a whole new level of abundance in his life”.

‘The Art of Achievement and Fulfillment’ has been described as a motivational book, delivering the codes that could literally take an individual to another level, whether starting a new career or business, or feel overwhelmed and looking for change; whatever that moment the principles shared in this book could lead to transformation.

Some of the eminent personalities from the field of publishing and bookselling will be enlightening the participants during the Yale Publishing Course 2013 whose preliminary programme was announced recently.

Although the deadline for submitting the application in both the programmes remained June 7 the prospective candidates were advised to apply early to secure their participation because the enrollment was limited to 70 in each programme.

The YPC course on Leadership Strategies in Magazine & Digital Publishing is scheduled to be held from July 14 to 19 while the other course on Leadership Strategies in Book Publishing will be taking place from July 21 to 26.

“As the disruption in the publishing industry continues at an ever-accelerating rate, we have been refreshing the YPC curriculum to reflect the latest advances in technology and evolving innovative business models. We are dedicated to making your time at Yale as informative, collegial, and productive as possible. Past participants have attested that they left New Haven inspired, energized, and better-equipped to lead their companies into the digital future. Join us and be a part of the worldwide network of YPC alumni,” Tina Weiner, Director, YPC, suggested.

The recently published photographic collection of Mohammad Rehan Khan by the name of ‘Clicks’ is set to click due to the high quality of the images and the rich variety of the pictures.

Rehan Khan, more famous as a dashing government officer who believes in letting his work do the talking instead of lip-service, has now joined the elite group of photographers to have published his collection.
‘Clicks’ brings to light his imagination and creativity.

It’s a wonderful bouquet of pictures clicked in different continents of the world. He has shown his love for the nature by shooting some of most amazing sights.
Rehan Khan, Director, Culture, Sports and Recreation, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), managed to squeeze time during his family vacations to capture some of the most gorgeous spots he came across.

Published by Welcome Book Port, the hardbound 144-page book in A-4 size, Clicks has the eye-catching photographs of Pakistan’s northern areas like Skardu, Kaghan, Manshera, Swat, Kalam and Bahrain while Rehan Khan has also immortalized scenes from Canada, England, Thailand and Malaysia.

Besides shooting lakes, mountains, skylines, rivers and historic buildings, Rehan Khan has also clicked butterflies, birds, animals and flowers in the book which is entirely in four-colour.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

The media in Pakistan has witnessed a revolution of sorts during the last one decade or so and Yasmeen Aftab Ali’s ‘A Comparative Analysis of Media and Media Laws in Pakistan’ is the first book of its kind.

Published by Sang-e-Meel Publications and launched in Islamabad a few months ago, the book has been hailed by the knowledgeable circles.

The versatile Yasmeen Ali, a prolific writer in social media, who also happens to be an eminent lawyer besides excelling in teaching mass communication, has been complimented to have put together her experiences and thoughts to bring out the book on such a critical subject.

“It is, indeed, a welcome arrival focusing as it does on a subject that is of great relevance to our society where not only the media laws if there are any but also all other laws are of no practical consequence,” Shamshad Ahmed Khan, a former Foreign Secretary, wrote in his newspaper column.

“This book is, perhaps, the first study of its own kind encompassing all media-related issues in our country and generating awareness of the vast legal framework available to the people as well as the media community on the rights and obligations of all in handling this important vehicle of public opinion and information. Yasmeen not only traces the historical evolution of this institution in Pakistan, but also brings out with specific instances the growing tendency for abuse of media-related freedoms,” he noted.

In the author’s words, ‘A Comparative Analysis of Media and Media Laws in Pakistan’ is about clarifying concepts.

“It is about defining the role of the institution of media that should be playing a pivotal role in the evolving society of our country but somehow, there is a slip between the cup and the lip!” Yasmeen Ali remarked.

“The concept of freedom of expression and freedom of speech for example is little understood. All aspects have been discussed to give the bigger picture. Defamation, Contempt of Court, Cyber Law, Electronic Media, Social Responsibility of Media; discussed threadbare with comparative laws existing in other countries,” she added.

“This book tries to address questions raised in every sphere. It is not another ‘theory book’ expounding concepts. It moves beyond discussing concepts to what issues exist in the world of communications in Pakistan. What are the questions that need to be addressed by relevant authorities in different mediums of communication and their possible solutions too, are offered,” she explained.

“More often than not, the issues are pin-pointed but no steps to redress a situation are chartered out. Here, the reader, the media practitioner and any one else interested, finds; practical, workable steps to develop media into a vibrant institution that is easy to play a positive role in knitting together the Pakistani Society and building bridges where needed–not creating further disenchantment and chaos!” Yasmeen Ali revealed.

Mohammad Rehan Khan, Director, Culture, Sports and Recreation, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), has been known and respected as a capable government officer with a result-oriented approach.

His talents in the field of photography, however, were unfolded only when he organized a couple of exhibitions in Karachi which took many of his colleagues, associates and friends by surprise.

But there’s no element of surprise, following those two successful exhibitions, about the recent publication of his book ‘Clicks’ which is a collection of photographs clicked by him during the last few years.

Published by Welcome Book Port, the 144-page book ‘Clicks’ has some outstanding and historic photographs with Rehan Khan proving his mettle in a convincing manner.

It's a very successful debut in the new field by the seasoned government officer whose creativity and photographic sense are reflected in the hardbound book which is both informative as well as eye-catching.

Monday, March 4, 2013

The recent Bollywood movie Zilla Ghaziabad, starring Sanjay Dutt, Vivek Oberoi and Arshad Warsi, is not the only thing to have brought into limelight the city of Ghaziabad, located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, 19 km east of Delhi and 46 km southwest of Meerut.

Ghaziabad, a large industrial city well-connected by roads and railways called the gateway of Uttar Pradesh, has been acclaimed the second fastest growing city in the world due to the construction boom it has been experiencing of late according to a City Mayors Foundation survey.

The E-Library of the Bal Bharati Public School in Brij Vihar, Ghaziabad, has set very high standards. It has collections stored in digital formats which are accessible via computers. The digital content may be stored locally or accessed remotely via computer networks. The digital library is a type of information retrieval system which can be used by free access to these resources from home.

Manavta Jugeshh, the energetic and visionary librarian of Bal Bharati Public School, has played the lead role in mobilizing resources to develop the digital library.
Holding a masters degree in Library and Information Science from the prestigious St. Stephen's College of the Delhi University, she has also organized a vibrant Bal Bharati Library which provides diverse collection of information to its members.

It has more than 15,000 books on different subjects and 25 journals are subscribed to enlighten the students and teachers.

Bal Bharati Public School is acclaimed as one of the leading institutions of East Delhi and is managed by Child Education Society.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

There are generous scholarships on offer for both the Yale Publishing Course (YPC) 2013 programmes of Leadership Strategies in Magazine & Digital Publishing as well as Leadership Strategies in Book Publishing to be held in July.

The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) has sponsored the scholarship for one participant to attend Leadership Strategies in Magazine & Digital Publishing. Only ASME members or editors working for them are eligible to receive this full-tuition scholarship.

The Ashmead award, honoring legendary book editor Larry Ashmead, is designed to nurture the career of a promising young editor in the field of book publishing. This year's winner will attend Leadership Strategies in Book Publishing. The 2012 winner, Michael Szczerban, is now an editor at Scribner.

The alumni of the YPC have considered their experiences at the Yale University as energizing, stimulating, terrifically enriching, diverse and inspiring. The courses are designed to provide a broader perspective on an ever-changing publishing landscape at the YPC.

The YPC 2012 had attracted mid to senior level publishing professionals from over 30 countries, from Abu Dhabi to Athens, Shanghai to Sao Paulo, and from all over the United States. They represented companies of all sizes and a wide diversity of publishing programmes.